MacRumors iPhone and iPad Blog: Apps, News, and Rumors

Around the world, Apple's text-to-speech functionality offers 32 voices for various languages, which have been compiled by Tes Mat, developer of the app Vocab Ninja. Mat has created a website that offers a sample of the text-to-speech function saying "Luke, I am your father," in all of the available text-to-speech languages, ranging from Arabic to Turkish. Each voice clip is available in...

Music video and entertainment platform Vevo announced today that it is partnering with Apple to stream this week's iTunes Festival at SXSW. Apple is limiting the service to include the same streaming options offered by its own iTunes Festival coverage, which includes iOS devices, Macs and the Apple TV. Starting Tuesday, March 11 and ending Saturday, March 15, viewers can launch the Vevo iOS ...

Apple has credited the evad3rs jailbreak team with discovering several security issues, according to a new Knowledge Base article that details security issues fixed in iOS 7.1 today. The company also credits a number of individual researchers -- including one named Roboboi99 -- as well as corporate security specialists from Google and FireEye, among other companies.As is common at many tech...

iOS 7.1, released earlier today, includes support for existing iPad models along with support for two unannounced models, labeled iPad4,3 and iPad4,6. It is possible that these new model numbers represent minor hardware revisions for existing iPads that will be introduced to the market silently, as a more substantial upgrade would push the model numbers higher. On occasion, Apple has...

The upcoming iPhone 6 has been incorporated into a new concept video by designer Sam Beckett, which was initially posted to The Verge forums. According to the dimensions Beckett provides, his "iPhone Air" concept includes a 4.7-inch display, a 1920 by 1080 resolution and 468 pixels per inch. Beckett's concept is 8 percent larger than the iPhone 5s and 9 percent thinner. The slimmer profile is...

Alongside the launch of iOS 7.1, Apple today updated its Apple TV software to version 6.1, adding a much-requested feature that allows users to hide unwanted channel icons from the main screen without needing to access the Parental Controls menu. The hiding feature joins an already existing rearranging feature, letting users further customize their Apple TV home screens as the number of channels...

After expanding to France last week, Apple's iPhone trade-in program is now available in Apple retail stores throughout Canada as noticed by 9to5Mac. Though not publicly announced, the launch was confirmed on Canadian Apple Store retail pages and in the Apple Store app. The in-store recycling program allows customers to trade-in an older iPhone model and immediately receive a gift card up...

AT&T will launch a new single-line data plan for smartphone customers on Sunday, bringing it more in-line with the lower-cost family plans that launched at the beginning of February.The new plan will give users 2GB of data, along with unlimited messaging and calling, for $65 per month, down $15 from the previous plan. Adding additional smartphones to the plan will cost $25 per line per month....

T-Mobile today announced that it was altering its existing Simple Choice plans, adding more data, a new pricing tier and no-added-cost international texting from the United States. Simple Choice plans still start with one line at $50 per month for unlimited data, talk and text on the T-Mobile network.  You only have to decide how much high speed 4G LTE data you want.  And now on the core plan, ...

The SlatePro TechDesk is a new Kickstarter project featuring a desk that has been designed with built-in docks and cutouts to accommodate several different Apple devices. It comes with multiple display docks that are able to hold an iPad, iPhone, or other mobile device, and air vents in the middle of the desk offer continual cooling for MacBooks. Designed to fit any size computer or laptop,...

Jawbone today updated its UP app to version 3.1, adding several new features to improve its Jawbone UP fitness band. Multiple enhancements have been made to sleep tracking, with the app including more information on sound sleep and light sleep periods, plus sunrise and sunset visuals. There's a new sleep recovery menu that can be accessed if a band was not put into sleep mode, a feature...

In the time of the first Apple v. Samsung trial in 2011, Apple requested an injunction to prevent Samsung from selling its Galaxy line of smartphones and tablets within the United States. Apple stated that the 23 products in question violated three of its multitouch software patents, including the scroll-back, tap-to-zoom, and pinch-to-zoom patents. Judge Lucy Koh then denied Apple's request,...

Science and technology company Azoi has unveiled the Wello health monitoring case for the iPhone 4S, iPhone 5 and iPhont 5s, allowing users to track various human metrics such as blood pressure, heart rate, temperature and more, reports GigaOM. The case itself features a thin design with Bluetooth functionality, and includes a microprocessor along with two sensors on its rear. Users are...

Google today updated its Gmail for iOS app to version 3.0, adding both simplified sign-ins and background app refresh. With the new update, Gmail will use iOS 7's background refresh capabilities to fetch mail even when the app is not open. Before the update, users could receive notifications when new mail was received, but opening the app was required to download the messages. The app also...

Roku today introduced a new $50 HDMI streaming-stick to compete directly with Google's Chromecast and give consumers a significantly cheaper alternative to the Apple TV.The new streaming stick is a sequel of sorts to a stick that Roku introduced last year that only worked with select Roku-ready TV's. The new stick comes with a full-fledged remote control and largely replicates the functionality ...

TwelveSouth today introduced the new SurfacePad for iPad mini, an compact leather case that's able to double as a viewing stand and a desktop typing wedge. The case, which is billed as a simple leather wrap, uses an adhesive backing to hold the iPad mini in place, cutting down on bulk and allowing it to function without an enclosing framework. With hidden magnets build into the inside of...

Since being introduced alongside the iPhone 5 in 2012, Apple's Lightning cable has been criticized for its poor durability, as it is prone to breakage and fraying near the adapter. It appears the Lightning cable may be vulnerable to corrosion as well, according to a report from ZDNet's Jason O'Grady, who noticed corrosion on the gold contacts of his Lightning cable after it had been failing...

Open source web and Mac application Cryptocat is now available on iOS. Designed to allow secure online chatting, the app encrypts chat messages to allow users to have single and group conversations that are secure and unable to be intercepted or monitored. Everyone's favourite privacy-loving cat is now on iPhone! Get an encrypted cat in your pocket, have private chats with friends any time. ...